"Reinier de Ridder needs to pass my friend, Vitaly Bigdash, first" - Anatoly Malykhin

Anatoly Malykhin has enjoyed plenty of back-and-forth with ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight world champion Reinier de Ridder, despite the pair competing in different divisions.

Malykhin has said that he believes the Dutchman would be making a mistake by moving up to heavyweight. de Ridder, meanwhile, has said that he can dominate the shorter 'Spartak'.

The dual-division champion will be defending his middleweight world title against the former king of the division, Vitaly Bigdash, at ONE 159 on July 22nd.

Anatoly Malykhin has been preparing his countryman for the bout and suggested in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda that de Ridder needs to focus first on who's in front of him before stepping up to a higher weight class.

"For de Ridder, he needs to pass my friend Vitaly [Bigdash]. I am currently coaching him, and I would say he's in good shape right now. I will also come to that fight — perhaps cornering him — and I will check him out, try to choke him, and see how good he is!"

de Ridder is 6'4 and stands four inches taller than Malykhin. If the Breda-born fighter can get past Bigdash, it could set up a fascinating superfight between the two undefeated athletes.

The fact that the Kemerovo-born fighter is training de Ridder's upcoming opponent only adds another layer of spice to the narrative.

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Anatoly Malykhin wants to be 'an example to young fighters'

Anatoly Malykhin is building quite a legacy for himself. There aren't too many fighters who stay undefeated at the highest level, let alone win all of their victories via stoppage.

The 34-year-old is on the cusp of winning the undisputed heavyweight world title if he can beat Arjan Bhullar in his next fight. If all goes well, the Tiger Muay Thai star has big plans for his legacy.

Malykhin said:

"If you speak about life, my ambition is to be an example to young fighters and sportsmen. To show that coming from a small town, it's very much possible to be that famous and a family man. At the same time, if we speak about sports, I want to be a champion and keep this belt until my health [doesn't allow it]. Who knows, maybe we can go one division lower or two divisions lower and get three belts?"

The date of his fight with Bhullar has yet to be confirmed, but given the recent performances of both men, the bout is set to be a classic in the history of the heavyweight division.